Head-block.



PATBNTED JAN-8, 19o7.

A. 13mm. HEAD' BLOCK. APPLIOATIOFILED SEIT. 7.1905.

ALEXANDER BURNS, OF MERRILL, WISCONSIN.

H EA D B LOC K specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

Application filed September 7, 1905. Serial No. 277,477.

T0 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER BURNS, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Merrill, in the county of Lincoln and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Head- Blocks, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in head-blocks and knees for sawmill-carriages.

The object of my invention is to provide a knee of this character which is prevented from wabbling or wearing loose, caused by the lateral strain to which they are subjected, and thus insuring a more uniform operation of the knee than has heretofore been accomplished. A further obj ect of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and effective device to overcome the above-noted objections and a device adapted to be attached to sawmillknees that have become worn and useless, rendering them as good as new.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of an ordinary head-block and the knee carried thereby, showing my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the improved attachment. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the housing, showing the wheel 13 in dotted lines.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 represents the head-block, which, as understood by those skilled in the art, is carried by or adj acent each end of any form of reciprocating sawmill carriage and pertains more particularly to carriages used in supporting logs in ripping boards therefrom or resawing the same. The said head-block 1, as understood, extends transverse of the reciprocating movement of the carriage and said block, having the usual sliding knee 2 movable longitudinally thereon. The said head-block 1 is of a channel-like form, having the two vertically-disposed elongated irons 3 and 4,

which are spaced apart, bearing the longitudinally-extending space 5 between the same. The inner faces of said irons 3 and 4 are provided with oppositely arranged elongated grooves or channels 6 and 7, into which extends the elongated anges 8 and 9, carried by the lower end of the knee, and thus said knee is slidably su ported between the upper ends of irons 3 an 4.

It has been found that in a device of this character the reciprocation of the knee soon wears the knee or the channel-irons 3 and 4, and the great strain to which they are subjected soon causes them to wabble, which 6o nel-irons 3 and 4 with outwardly-extending 65 flanges 10 and l1, which extend entirely across the said head-blocks' and form a track on each side of the knee 2. Carried by the tracks 11 are two rails 10 and 1l', upon which the wheels roll to prevent the iianges or 7o tracks 10 and l1 from becoming worn. The said knee adjacent the inner end is provided with a housing 12 on each side, and said housing is provided with a wheel 13, which bears lupon the tracks 10 and 1l, and thus 75 the weight and lateral strain ofthe knee caused by the log is taken from the knee `and is necessarily upon the wheel. The said housing, as shown, hasv its corners rounded,

provided with a number of openings 15 by 8c means of which the same is bolted to the knee. The same bolts, if desired, may pass through the knee and be secured to the housing on the opposite side thereto. The said housing is provided with the outwardly-extending journal 16, upon which the wheel is loosely mounted and upon which the same is free to rotate. The wheel, as shown in Fig. 3, extends out flush with the end of the journal, but said journal does not extend out 9o quite to the outer edge of the side walls of the housing.

The outer wall 2O of the housing is hinged at 21 to swing down and close the housing,

and said wall is provided with a washer 22,

which is opposite the journal and which engages a smallportion of the wheel and pre-I vents it from bearing against the outer wall 20. Pivotally connected to the outer face of said wall at 23 is a bar 24, which extends ico outwardly beyond the sides of the housingand said sides are provided with outwardlyextending ears 25 and 26, which are provided with oppositely-arranged recesses 26 and 27, and when said cover is sw1` lng down- 1o 5 wardly the pivoted bar is oscillated on the pivot 23 and swung under said ears 25 and 26', and the cover or outer wall is locked in its downward position against outward movement, and thus the wheel is held in its I Io correct position.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen l that the kn'ee is practically relieved of all lateral strain by the wheels or rollers, and that practically all of the wear is upon the wheels and tracks, and when the same has become worn to allow of any laterally movement the cover is simply removed and a new Wheel 13 placed on the journal 16. The rear portion ofthe knee is provided with the usual lever mechanism for moving the same forward as the log is sawed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

Y 1. Thecombination with a head-block, a sawmill-carriage, a knee slidably mounted therein, housings detachably carried by the opposite faces of the knee, a journal rigidly carried by the housing, rollers detachably mounted upon said journal, acover closing said housing, and means carried by the cover for holding said rollers on the journal.

2. The combination with a head-block, of

a sawmill-carriage, a knee slidably mounted therein7 housings carried b y the opposite sides of the knee, outwardly-extending journals mounted within the housing, detachable rollers mounted on said journals, and av swinging cover adapted to hold the rollers on the' journals within the housing.

3. The combination with a head-block, of a sawmill-carriage, a' knee slidably mounted therein, a housing detachably secured to the a sawmill-carriage, a knee slidably mounted therein, a housing detachably secured to the side of the knee ,and having an open outer face, an outwardlyfextending journal rigidly mounted within ,the housing, a detachable roller mounted upon the j ourn'al'and bearing upon the head-block, a Icover hinged to the upper end of the housing and closing the open outer face, a washer carried by the cover and engaging the journal and of a greater diameter, outwardly-extending lugs carried by the outer walls of said housing, and a pivoted arm carried by the cover adapted to swing under said lugs, whereby the cover is locked in its vertical position and the roller fir'nly held upon the journal.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER BURNS. Witnesses f H. R. ALLEN, HARRY R. ALLEN. 

